New Jersey Devil 100

Crew Chief for runner Kevin Scott here! We most recently took on the New Jersey Devil 100 in 2023. With it being the first time this race has been held there was not a lot of info to glean pre-race. That being said I hope our “trailblazing” experience can provide some info for next years crews and runners!

Lodging: Hotels were in short supply unless we wanted to stay in Ocean City. We decided to get a camping spot at Lake Absegami (start line). There are showers, though finding them at night, post race, in the rain, was less than ideal. I recommend asking the office first. There are no animals in the area due to undrinkable ground water. However, there are bugs galore (Bring Permethrin!), along with a Whippoorwill that will scream loud enough all night long to be confused with a howler monkey. Otherwise it’s perfect!

Food: Camp food was brought so store runs weren’t needed at the race. However we as a crew found ourselves in need of hot, non-dehydrated, food. Pic-A-Lilli Inn (866 US-206, Shamong, NJ 08088) was a great place to stop going from Batona Campground AS to Washington Bridge AS. While we got buffalo and regular chicken hoagies, we saw giant metal bowls full of chicken wings at almost every table. Had I known I probably would have called in for that!

Roads: It’s all country roads and some dirt roads, but a regular sedan shouldn’t have any issues. I always recommend bringing a paper map. Cell service is spotty at best, which can cause some hypothetical “game time” issues including: Loss of direction, road name confusion, reliance on a Canadian pacer named Max who’s phone actually works, and clearing vegetation on a fire road with the sides of your sister-in-laws SUV. Also remember to follow posted speed limits, as NJ State Park Police love giving speeding tickets.

Crewed Stations:
Evans Bridge: Parking very limited. You can park along the road, just realize you have to walk it. If you get in the actual parking area, it can be very hectic getting out as you have to deal with traffic coming in as well as runners crossing the road right next to the AS. Take it slow. Single Port-a-john available.

Washington Bridge: Parking is along the side of the road. Not a busy road, but not very wide. I do recommend going past the AS and turning around to park facing the way you came in. It is very dark at night so personal light is a must. Single Port-a-john available.

Batona Campground: Road in is well packed dirt. You are supposed to park at the Carranza Memorial (there are three dirt “lots” behind the memorial to park in. No need to be on the road) and walk in about a 1/4 of a mile through mostly sand. However it was not enforced it seemed as after we walked in people kept driving in and parking at the AS. Couple state park outhouses available (beware bugs and detached toilet seats).

Pakim Pond: Plenty of parking. You will have runners coming in from both directions as this is the start and end of the Mt. Misery loop. 2-3 Port-a-Johns available.

Mt. Misery: As a team we decided to skip this AS for crew. (Good luck with this one. Rumor of limited parking overheard)

That’s about all I have for big take aways. I’ll update if I think of anything else. Smooth Runnings